Letters

Why Vestas closed Isle of Wight plant

Seumas Milne misses the reality of the problems faced by Vestas and hence the real solutions (Even the Isle of Wight wants Miliband to buck the market 23 July). The factory makes onshore wind turbines, not for Britain and Europe but a different-sized turbine for the US. It has now opened a US facility to serve that market. For months, we have worked with the company to understand what would be required to convert the factory to making onshore blades for the UK. The issue for Vestas was not subsidies, but how it could get enough orders. Despite a 67% rise in offshore wind generation last year and a 29% increase in onshore wind, they do not yet have sufficient orders. We need to grow the market and central to that, as Vestas has said, is planning.

Ditlev Engel, chief executive of Vestas, says Britain is "probably one of the most difficult places in the world to get permission". That is why the planning rules are being changed next year. But while the rules matter, so does public opposition or support. We are unlikely to be a centre for onshore wind production if applications are consistently turned down. So we have to win a political argument.

In the meantime, there must be a strategy for the Isle of Wight. Not just support for the workers losing their jobs, but a strategy to work with Vestas. It is keeping a prototype facility at the factory and we are considering an application for help to test and develop offshore blades in a plant which would employ 150 people initially and potentially more later. Alongside this, we will invest £120m in offshore wind manufacturing and £60m in the marine industry. This is an active industrial strategy to create low-carbon jobs throughout the country.